Concept Cars: Ford F-250 Super Chief

The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept
takes truck leadership to a new level – as
the world's first vehicle with Tri-Flex fueling,
enabling the supercharged V-10 to run for 500 miles
between fill-ups on hydrogen, E85 ethanol or gasoline.

The tri-fuel flexibility is one possible innovation
by Ford to help pave the way for hydrogen vehicles,
as the nation's ethanol and hydrogen fueling infrastructure
continues to develop. The concept truck and its name
are inspired by the bold, American Super Chief trains
of the nation's past. Super Chief is Ford's most advanced,
well-appointed pickup ever – designed to build
on the standard for interior excellence established
by the new F-150. Super Chief features an interior
paneled in American walnut, brushed aluminum and bold
brown leather. Convenience features include bold light-emitting
diode (LED) headlamps, a full glass roof and automated
ottoman.

Technology Innovation in a Bold American Wrapper:
The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept boldly foretells
a new era for pickup trucks that Ford intends to lead
with bold, American design and innovation – as
it has for nearly three decades. "F-250 Super
Chief pays tribute to the bold optimism that is part
of the American character," says Peter
Horbury, executive director, North America Design. "The
F-250 Super Chief's innovations pave a new path for
the American truck. It's a notion – and a modern
design – so bold, it could only come from Ford."

Running on hydrogen, the supercharged V-10 engine provides
up to 12 percent fuel economy improvement on an energy
equivalent basis versus a non-supercharged gasoline
V-10 – and nearly 500 miles per fill-up. In addition,
when operating on hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10 generates
99 percent less CO2 emissions than when running on
gasoline.

Hydrogen is the ultimate clean fuel of the future.
It is not only the cleanest fuel, it is the most abundant
element on Earth. E85 ethanol is a domestic, renewable,
greenhouse gas-friendly fuel. "The Tri-Flex fuel
engine encourages the development of the hydrogen fuel
infrastructure for the best future mobility solution,"
says Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Research and
Advanced Engineering. "It also drives the expansion
of the domestic ethanol E85 fuel production and availability
and, of course, provides our customers the convenience
of gasoline until these other fuels become more readily
available."

The Tri-Flex system leverages existing powertrain technologies
in which Ford has long held leadership. Since 1996,
Ford has led in production and sales of flex-fuel E85
ethanol/gasoline vehicles. Ford has built more than
1.6 million flex-fuel vehicles that operate on any mix
of E85 and gasoline. In December 2005, a flex-fuel capable
version of the F-150 pickup went into production. Ford
has committed to building more than 250,000 flex-fuel
vehicles in 2006. Ford flex-fuel vehicles offer the
customer convenience of filling one tank with E85 and/or
gasoline.

The transition from hydrogen fuel power to either E85
or gasoline is handled seamlessly through a dashboard-mounted
switch and can occur while the vehicle is in operation.
Transition from either E85 or gasoline to hydrogen requires
that the vehicle be at idle to allow for proper engagement
of the supercharger, which only operates when the vehicle
is powered by hydrogen.

Safe and Comfortable:
While the F-250 Super Chief has plenty of innovative
tricks under its hood, it embraces several of Ford Motor
Company's advanced safety technologies to help ensure
that occupants' travels are not only comfortable, but
also safe.

Safety technology such as BeltMinder™ and BlockerBeam™
are among the innovative features on the F-250 Super
Chief. BlockerBeam™ provides enhanced frontal
crash compatibility with cars on the road, and Ford's
patented BeltMinder™ technology will alert the
driver when occupants are not buckled up.

BeltMinder™ goes further than the federally required
safety belt reminder chiming system. In Ford vehicles,
the driver or front passenger who remains unbuckled
is regularly reminded to buckle up. The system chimes
and flashes a warning lamp for six seconds every 30
seconds for five minutes or until the driver buckles
up, whichever comes first. The second-row BeltMinder™
technology will now be able to alert the driver when
second-row passengers have not buckled their safety
belts.

In addition, Ford's unique frontal crash enhanced underride
protection system – called BlockerBeam™
– could make the F-250 Super Chief more compatible
with cars. The system helps F-250 Super Chief and a
car better share energy during a crash. During a frontal
collision with a car, the BlockerBeam™ is designed
to make contact with the frame rails of a car in an
effort to prevent the car from sliding beneath the
higher-riding vehicle. Upon impact, the L-shaped brackets
bend, helping to disperse crash energy. This reduces
the amount of intrusion into the passenger compartment
of the car and further reduces the risk of serious
injury to the car's occupants.

Bold, American Exterior Design:
The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept projects the next
level of rugged elegance for full-size pickups, further
stretching the world-famous F-Series lineup past the
F-250 Super Crew and F-250 King Ranch. "Ford
has been the truck leader for so long, no one can
remember it being any other way," says
J Mays, group vice president, Design, and chief creative
officer. "The F-250 Super Chief boldly restates
our leadership with a quintessentially American truck."

The F-250 Super Chief's locomotive-inspired front-end
appearance sets the tone, complemented by its bold,
imposing grille. The pattern of the headlamps echoes
the motif of the interior's coffered ceiling, with five-element/four-emitter
LEDs behind the optics.

Below the headlamps, sturdy tow hooks are integrated
into the fog lamps for a multifunctional look. Even
more pronounced from the profile is the truck's substantial
cabin. Based on an F-250 Super Duty with an 8-foot-long
bed, F-250 Super Chief designers reallocated 2 feet
of bed space for the passenger compartment, which is
accessible through center-opening doors. The F-250 Super
Chief's rear doors can be opened independently of its
front doors. An electronic release first extends the
rear three-pivot hinges out and slides them back slightly
to open the rear doors; an electronic motor pulls them
closed.

Expressive details add beauty as well as functionality.
The sculpted cowling serves as an air intake for the
V-10 engine, while pronounced vents exhaust heat from
the engine bay. Pronounced flares house the truck's
24-inch wheels, and Goodyear tires firmly plant the
truck on the ground.
In the rear, the tailgate hinges on both sides for greater
utility. Inside the bed, a wood-planked bed floor is
ribbed with raised metal rub strips for easy cargo loading.
In addition, there's an under-bed storage tray, which
can be accessed even when the cargo bed is full.
Interior Indulgence:
The F-250 Super Chief concept delivers an interior
design that's rugged as well as elegant in three materials:
American walnut, brushed aluminum and rich brown leather.
"Well-appointed vehicles are nothing new,"
Mays says. "But, as premium amenities and finishes
become more ordinary, we wanted to push the envelope
and show our truck customers – and our competitors
– what a truly upscale, distinctly American pickup
might look like."

The entire roof of the F-250 Super Chief is glass, bisected
by a leather-wrapped grid of American walnut, allowing
vista views. The walnut, outlined in aluminum, lines
the truck's floors as well, carrying through the design
execution of the pickup bed. Viewed from above, through
the glass roof, the floor is smooth and integrated from
cabin to the bed.

Rear seats allow for relaxation aided by ottomans that
deploy from the floor space. The seats have separate
cushions for the seat bottoms and the backs, as well
as individual integrated armrests that are not part
of the rear door panels. The leather for the seats – as
it is throughout the rest of the cabin – is
Spinneybeck, aniline-dyed in a rich brown. "While
the F-250 Super Chief is an extreme example of interior
indulgence, our experience with trucks has shown that
customers want more interior comfort and amenities
than ever," says Horbury.
"The current F-150 demonstrated that as far as
we were willing to go on interior comfort and design,
our customers may be willing to go further. "The
Ford F-250 Super Chief concept allows us to better
gauge where the high end of rugged elegance just
might be."